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The more memory you have in your PC, the bigger the file will be. So What is hiberfil.sys Anyway?Windows has
two power management modes that you can choose from: one is Sleep Mode, which keeps the PC running in a low
power state so you can almost instantly get back to what you were working on. The other is Hibernate mode, which
completely writes the memory out to the hard drive, and then powers the PC down entirely, so you can even take the
battery out, put it back in, start back up, and be right back where you were.
Hibernate mode uses the hiberfil.sys file to store the the current state (memory) of the PC, and since it’s managed by
Windows, you can’t delete the file.
So if you never use it, and want to disable Hibernate mode, keep reading. Personally I stick with Sleep Mode the vast
majority of the time, but I do use Hibernate quite often.
Disable Hibernate (and Delete hiberfil.sys) in Windows 7 or VistaYou’ll need to open an administrator mode
command prompt by right-clicking on the command prompt in the start menu, and then choosing Run as
Administrator. Once you’re there, type in the following command:
powercfg -h off
You should immediately notice that the Hibernate option is gone from the Shut down menu.
For more about dealing with Hibernate like setting how long it takes to head into Hibernate mode, you can check out
our article on How to Manage Hibernate Mode in Windows 7.
Disabling Hibernate Mode in Windows XP It’s a lot easier in Windows XP to get rid of Hibernate mode… in fact,
we’ve already covered it before, but we’ll cover it again. Just head into Control Panel –> Power Options, and then
find the Hibernate tab. Uncheck the box, reboot your PC, and then you can delete the hiberfil.sys file.